The evolving complexities in the healthcare staffing industry have resulted in more healthcare staffing firms embracing innovation in response to a shortage of healthcare workers. Many US hospitals and outpatient centers are challenged with meeting patient demand due to worker shortages, which has led to increased levels of burnout among staff, increased wait times and patient safety concerns. This article highlights some of the ways hospitals and healthcare staffing firms use artificial intelligence to reduce costs, improve utilization of workers and forecast workforce needs.
Staffing platforms. Staffing platforms are a segment of the staffing industry where automated/online and self-service processes replace many of the tasks that were formerly performed by recruiters working via a traditional staffing model. Adoption of staffing platforms has boomed in recent years in healthcare staffing. As staffing platform automation advances, there is intense focus on how AI can be leveraged. Use cases range from more sophisticated job matching, chatbots, video interview interfaces and tools for drafting job advertisements to handling frequent interactions and automated scheduling capabilities. The scalability of the platform model has become a competitive advantage compared to traditional staffing firms due to the quality optimization, efficiencies and high fill rates that can be achieved with minimal human interaction. SIA corporate members can read more about how platform companies are rapidly innovating to differentiate from each other in the 2023 Temporary Staffing Platform Update report.
Locum tenens recruitment. AI has become more common in locum tenens recruitment to automate repetitive tasks, simplify processes and create efficiencies. In 2023, Aya Healthcare acquired Winnow AI to unlock predictive physician insights and help organizations tap into a unique source of passive physicians and to identify those who may be more likely to relocate for a given job opening. Additionally, Locumpedia launched LocumsAI, an AI tool designed to create professional job descriptions for locum tenens staffing firms, streamlining recruitment efforts and boosting job ad response rates. For more insight into how healthcare staffing firms are using AI to allocate staff efficiently, SIA corporate members can read the Locum Tenens Market Growth Assessment report.
Buyer use of AI. Hospitals are leveraging AI to reduce administrative tasks that contribute to clinician burnout using AI-powered apps such as Augmedix and HealthScribe. These apps can be used for transcription and documentation following patient visits, saving clinicians time on burdensome administrative tasks, allowing them to work at the top of their license, thereby reducing burnout. Additionally, Providence Health System developed an AI algorithm for forecasting staff based on patient volume and acuity, using electronic medical records and billing data. In addition to additional capacity, the machine learning decision optimization software allows workers to select different shift lengths providing more control over their schedules and contributing to a reduction in clinician burnout.
The transformative impact of AI is widespread with recruitment increases at scale and improved experiences for talent and buyers, potentially resulting in improvement in overall industry size, scope and revenue. To learn more about how AI enabled solutions are transforming the staffing industry, SIA corporate members can read The Coming Disruption: How the Staffing Industry Can Prepare for the AI Revolution.
